Pneumatic cleaner.



' -A. C. BUELL.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED 161111.14, 190s.

( n we wto'c 949,370. Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

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"I lill A. C. BUELL.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.14, 1908.

" "unmuu A. G. BUELL.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14, 1908.

949,370. Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE.

AZEL C. BUELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO SANITARY UTILITIES COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PNEUMATIC CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AZEL C. BUELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to pneumatic cleaners such as are used for cleaning carpets, floors, rugs or other flat surfaces to be cleaned, and the objects of the invention are to provide a pneumatic cleaner which is practical, economical and substantial, which is composed of comparatively few mechanical parts, and which may be readily taken apart for the purpose of repair and the parts again assembled.

These being some of the objects in view, the invention consistsof certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a desirable form of the invention, and in which, a

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved pneumatic cleaner; Fig. 2 is a pe'r-' spective view of .the interior mechanism, the parts of which may be conveniently assembled as one unit; Fig. 3 is an under side view of the cleaner; Fig. 4 is a lon itudinal section on the line 44, Fig.3; ig. 5 is a detail transverse section on the line 5-5, Fig. 3, showing the traction wheel and crank shaft construction; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the hub portion of one of the traction wheels; Fig. 7 is a sectional side elevation of one of the traction wheels, showing its action on a pile car et or rug; and Figs. 8 and 9 are respective y a perspective view and a section on the line 99, Fig. 8, of portions of the frame of the cleaner, illustrating the manner of mounting the drivin or crank shaft on the frame.

The invention described and claimed hereto a suction a flan e (1, extending around the nterior of sai casing. A dirt-collecting bag 0' is preferably employed, the same being of suit-' able flexi le material and provided with an oblong mouth-piece c of suitable metal,

which is inserted like the cover of a milk can into the flanged top exit opening a of the upper air chamber b There may be used in connection with the flexible collecting bag an arched bridge-piece or handle 0 which extends across the mouthiece c, and upon which a side portion 0 the baghrests, but this handle may be dispensed wit The lower forward end of the inlet-chamber b is provided with a dirt inlet mouth d extending from side to side of the cleaner, said mouth being bounded on the front side by a downward y projecting 1i d and on the rear side by a wear-strip or lip d which 7 is preferably dovetailed in cross section so as to fit into the dovetail formed by-the converging fian es d on the under side of the portion a o casing 0. The plane of the under friction surface of the wear-strip d is preferably slightly below that of the front stand the usual amount'of wear, the same bein removable andt-herefore renewable. Just be ind the dirt inlet mouth d and extending upwardly into the lower air chamber b is a battle or iard d. This acts to throw the incoming ust or dirt laden air currentupwardly and .prevents any of the particles which mi ht dro onto the bottom of the said air chamber because of the presence of the horizontal a out of thG'IIIOLIH'l The main or skeleton frame 6, Figs. 2, 3 and 4, of the cleaner is preferably formed of channel bars as shown, and consists of two U-sha ed sections of channel bars arranged with t e inner legs thereof together to form 10 a middle longitudinal bar e. The said U- sections are riveted or otherwise suitably secured togfither, and the metallic frame com' osed erefrom conforms to and fits in t e upper hood or casing 0, it being rertition from falling again (L inovably applied thereto in a manner hereinafter made apparent.

The bellows f, f are composed of flexible sides f and a movable suctlon and com pression board F. It will be noted that this lows into the upper air chamber 6. To prevent the inwardly opening valves 9, h from movingor dropping to such position as that they might accldentally be injured by'the movable bellows boards f, the said valves are spring pressed toward the openingsa: by means of suitable springs. y'. i

The mechanism for actuating the movable bellows boards 7 is preferably operated from suitable means actuated as the cleaner is propelled forwardly or backwardly, to which end the said means is mounted on the frame 0 of the cleaner. Applied to the outer sides of the movable bellows boards are cross bars It, on the projecting ends of which turn rollers Z,which rollers run in the outer-channels l and the inner channels Z formed by the channel bars of the frame e. The bellows are arranged for alternate operation, whether there be two or more than two. Two are shown. A shaft m is suitably mounted in the frame and is provided with oppositely extending cranks or crank portions m, which have a hinge con-- nection with pitmen n, which are in turn hinge connected with the cross bars k.

Traction or driving wheels 0 are suitably mounted on or keyed to the crank shaft m as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, for the purpose of driving the mechanism and alternately operating the bellows as the cleaner is moved .in frictional contact with a surface to be cleaned. The wheels 0 are peculiarly formed to increase their tractive properties, that is to say, they are provided with, openings or cut-outs 0, which, as the cleaner is passed over a pile carpet or rug, receive in the openings or cut-outs portions of the pile. The said wheels are formed preferab y of one piece of metal and are of dished formation, so that the tread of the wheel in which the openings or cut-outs are located extends outwardly from the inner web portion of the wheel. The web portion of the wheel may be of spider formation, so as to lighten the construction. For convenience of assemblage with the crank shaft m, the preferably integral k hubs p of the wheels are provided with axial holesp which open into transverse grooves or recesses 2 in the inner ends of the hubs. The descri ed construction of hubs enables the ends of the crank shaft m to be applied to the wheels without requiring any separate fastenings, .for the ends of the shaft simply receive the hubs and the crank portions of the shaft engage in the cross grooves or recesses 19 The entire frame and bellows, together with the operating mechanism, are removable from the hood or casing as a 'unit, although the invention is not limited to this feature.

The valved bellows board 2' fits in removable contactwith the flange a, and

ends of the crank shaft m turn in removable boxes g which are fitted in fixed position in the rear ends of the channels Z of the frame, and to define the rearward position of the said boxes and the shaft, the same are forced rearwardly against stops 9' which are preferably formed integral with the channel bars of the frame by striking up portions of the bars to form burs. v The said stops are opposed at the opposite sides of the journal boxes by confining screws 9 which engage also w th the boxes and which pass through the sides of the hood or casing 0 and'the side bars of the frame. 6. Recesses g, g are formed in the lower flanges of the .side channelv bars of the frame to permit the boxes 9, to be moved out and disengaged from the frame when the screws or plns g have been disengaged from them. This enables the crank shaft to be disengaged from the frame of the cleaner for pur oses of repair and inspection, and for urther .en-

abling the entire interior mechanism to be removed.

The middle portion of the crank shaft bears in the closed end of a longitudinal slot 1" formed in the middle bar eof the frame, said slot being providedat its other end with a gap r to-enable the crank shaft to be engaged with the said middle bar and to be disengaged therefrom. f

.A suitablehandle bail orhinged frame .9 is provided, having a socket to receive the usual handle, and is pivoted to the sides of the hood or casing of the cleaner through the medium of-screws swhich pass through the hood and into the frame 6. A reinforcing rib t is preferably provided for the roof or top of the hood or easing, as shown in Fig. 4.

There are a number of advantages incident to the construction disclosed herein, among which may be mentioned the fact that the interior mechanismcan be readily taken out by simply removing the screws or fastenings which secure the mechanism to the frame and hood or casing of the cleaner, and the interior mechanism can in turn be as readily dismantled. Another advantage is that ready access can be had to the valves for the purpose of replacement or repair. Likewise ready access can be had to the chambers b b. The collecting bag holds the dirt and dust, and prevents the same from floating about in the air and again settling. By dividing the front portion a of the casing c horizontally and arranging the bellows in suitable cor-relation thereto the collecting bag need have but one mouth to receive the dust. Such of the particles of dust or dirt as are not blown from the upper chamber b dro onto the horizontal partition b, from whic they can be readily removed when desired.

Having thus described m invention, what I claim as new therein an desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pneumatic cleaner, the combination of a skeleton channel-bar frame rovided with inner channels, suitable bel ows mounted thereon and having a movable end board provided with means for guidin it traveling in the channels between the sides of the frame, a casing on said frame having a chambered front ortion provided with a suction-mouth, said chambered front portion communicating with the bellows, and traction wheels on which the said parts are sup orted and which are connected with said bellows-board for reciprocating it, for substantially the purposes set forth.

2. In a pneumatic cleaner, the combination of a frame, cleaning mechanismmounted thereon comprising a bellows removable from the frame, a crankshaft provided with traction wheels, means for actuating said bellows from said shaft, boxes in which the ends of the shaft are journaled, and means for fixing the boxes removably to the frame, for substantially the purposes setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 6th day of March, 1908.

AZEL C. BUELL.

Witnesses:

Oms. S. Hams, Gno. L. Wmmmox. 

